2024 Kia EV9 Up Close: This One Is Significant

The new 2024 Kia EV9 isn’t the first all-electric three-row SUV on the market; there have been a few others, including the Tesla Model X and Y and the Mercedes-EQ EQB and EQS SUVs. But the arrival of the EV9 is the most significant, as it represents perhaps the best mainstream electric vehicle yet to hit the American market. The EV9 is a full-size family SUV with genuine room in all three rows — it’s roughly the size of the popular Kia Telluride — and we hope it will be an affordable entry point to undercut the similarly sized but far more expensive and opulent EQS SUV.

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Styled to Get Noticed

The EV9’s design is frankly fantastic, with clean lines, unusual angles and distinctive shapes that immediately identify it as something new and unique. But as wild as it looks, it doesn’t look any more crazy than most of the other stuff in the Kia showroom. Few automakers are being as daring with styling as Hyundai group (Kia and Genesis both are brands under Hyundai’s umbrella, if you didn’t know), but unlike other brands that are having mixed luck making things look different while still retaining aerodynamic efficiency so crucial for EVs, Kia and its kin have really nailed it.

Normalcy Is the Point

Inside, you’re in a seven-passenger SUV with comfy seats in all three rows, good visibility, lots of head- and legroom, and it all looks so very normal. That normalcy is the point — this is meant to appeal to mainstream SUV buyers, not early adopters looking for a science project. Kia’s EVs don’t seem to be going after the same people as the Ioniq crowd over at Hyundai; the inside of the EV9 looks like it could be gracing a typical gas-powered model. If you told me this was the next-generation Telluride, I wouldn’t doubt it for a second.

The shapes are traditional and classic, inoffensive, and perhaps the only issues I have with the cabin are the abundance of hard plastics on the dash and doors (likely a cost-cutting measure; those big lithium-ion battery packs are expensive, y’know) and the use of haptic-feedback touch controls. But at least Kia hasn’t gone all-in on the touch-sensitive stuff, like they have over at Nissan and Volkswagen. There’s still a good number of hard buttons for things you use frequently, so the folks at Kia have gotten the message that going 100% touch-sensitive isn’t the way to win friends (or satisfied customers). Materials quality for the seats is excellent, less so on the doors and dash, but overall, the inside looks upscale and appealing.

Space Aplenty

But what could really sell the 2024 Tellu-, er, EV9 to the American public is the space inside. Drop the third row, and there’s as much room as anyone’s likely to need. The EV9’s interior is easily comparable to full-size crossover-style SUVs that have proven to be the sweetheart spot of the market. The second row has a power-folding function, but the third row just has a pull strap — and that’s okay; the third row seats drop and raise easily without much effort at all. Adding the weight of a powered third row just isn’t necessary.

The real question about the EV9 is pricing. Right now, the EV6 ranges from about $50,000 to $63,000, depending on content and trim, and a gas-powered Telluride ranges from around $37,000 to $54,000. It’s almost certain that the EV9 will come in well above the Telluride, given its expensive electric drivetrain, and likely above the EV6, as well, given its position atop the Kia electric lineup. The question will be where will it top out — will Kia aim the new EV9 at mainstream buyers who are looking for the first affordable, spacious, three-row family electric SUV? Or will it aim upmarket toward luxury buyers with more disposable income who won’t shy away from a luxury-priced model? Will buyers be interested in making the price jump from the relative bargain of the Telluride to the EV9?

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• Kia Reveals First Images of All-Electric 2024 EV9 SUV
• Kia EV9 Concept Unveiled: 5 Things You Should Know
• 2023 Kia EV6 GT Review: Affordable All-Electric Performance
• Hyundai Seven Concept Revealed: 300-Plus-Mile Range, No Steering Wheel
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